Being on a safari can be one of the most exhilarating experiences a person can have. Watching wild animals in the wilderness often ‘touches’ us deeply because it awakens our own primal instinct and this is what connects us with nature. However, when we identity with a particular animal like we have with Cecil the experience becomes a deeply meaningful one, we feel compassion and respect because the animal becomes a ‘someone’ and no longer a something.

The killing of Cecil the Lion by the Trophy Hunter Walter Palmer happened because Cecil was merely a something to the hunter and like all the other Lions who are hunted every year as trophies, more than 600, they are simply an additional something to collect and own.

This isn't about trophy hunting even though I abhor it, it's about a culture thing and what impact it has on our well being.

In amongst all the chaos of your life is you, you were born unique and different with special gifts just like Cecil the Lion, however you have strengths that may never have been acknowledged ever!

So here you are surrounded by the noise of modern life. You feel disoriented and often disillusioned but you are told this is normal and to soldier on. Deep down you feel a restlessness and you don't know why. A deep feeling of longing surfaces and you begin to believe there's something wrong with you so you go seeking for what's missing.

For far too long you've judged yourself to be insignificant because you believe you are incomplete. There's something missing alright, its the real you.

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make” Jane Goodall

Animals have been gifted with senses beyond our own, or is it that we have forgotten, lost touch with who we really are. Cecil lived and breathed Lion. Just like Cecil each one of cannot be measured nor compared to others. He is a someone who lived a purposeful life.

When I’m out on safari, every animal I encounter is a ‘someone’. They have a unique character, a family, a home and they have their own story to tell just as we do.

Our life can be superficial or deeply meaningful. First thing to do is let go of everything that doesn't inspire you. Do work that matters

It’s easy to understand how the death of Cecil the Lion at the hands of a trophy hunter has ignited a global outcry to end all Trophy Hunting. But its not just about trophy hunting, it’s ultimately about our own evolution as a species. Cecil was an individual in his own right who had freedom to live as a true wild lion. He taught us about courage and confidence and he is now teaching us about compassion and respect.

The dramatic response from people around the world reveals that we already realise what truly matters and who we want to become. This is why it’s important to protect the rights of animals around the world not for us but for them. It’s the manner in which we respect animals that is the most fundamental aspect in the next great shift in human consciousness. By respecting animals we also respect ourselves.

The Best African Safari

Join Avani in Kenya 2018 - Get close to wildlife with your camera in a respectful way and connect with nature in the some of the most enchanted and pristine landscapes in Africa. Open to a maximum of 12 participants. Download the Brochure here